'We’re pretty well rudderless': GOP senators scrambling as McConnell heads for the door

With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stepping down from his leadership position, a power struggle among Republicans is underway to succeed him with hardliners lining up on one side and moderates who want to get legislation passed in a mostly evenly split Senate on the other side.

According to a new report from Politico, McConnell is not even out the door yet as he steps down from his leadership position in November and the jockeying to replace him is in full swing with the leading candidates appearing to be Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL).

Far-right Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he wants to see a leader who is a rock-ribbed hardliner who won't give an inch, telling Politico, "Compromise is not the problem. The problem is where you choose to make the deals and where you draw the line, in particular in spending bills. Yeah, I got a problem with how they’ve been drawn.”

Politico's Ursula Perano and Burgess Everett wrote, "Hardline Republicans like Lee, though they’re in the minority of the GOP, are pushing back against a more conciliatory wing of their conference that sees the Senate as a bastion of bipartisan collaboration in a broken capital. So, Lee is pushing leadership hopefuls and colleagues to join a pledge to block all 'political and judicial' nominees for the rest of the term and muck up Democratic legislative priorities — tactics the right launched after Donald Trump was convicted."

As the scramble to assume McConnell's mantle grows, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) admitted, " ...we have a leadership vacuum right now. We’re pretty well rudderless.”

The report adds, "Johnson is among those who has signed Lee’s letter vowing to block nominees on the Senate floor in response to Trump’s conviction, which has become something of a litmus test among ambitious conservatives. Scott has signed on, as has Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is competing for the conference’s No. 3 spot."

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) pointed at the turmoil in the House that saw Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) deposed and had Republican lawmakers at each other's throats with hard feelings still remaining.

“We will be making an enormous mistake if we let a minority of our members further weaken an already weak leader,” he complained before singling out the GOP House infighting and stating, Senate Republicans "are just not paying attention to the reality of what has occurred as a result of that in the House.”

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